1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to upper bodysuits or undergarments, and more particularly, to bodysuits or undergarments of the type which serve to shape the upper body, and provide control to the waist and tummy of female wearers of strapless gowns and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of undergarments are known in the prior art which are constructed to provide support to the user. See, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,249. Although the prior art devices generally serve their intended purpose, they usually are made of a single layer of non stretchable fabric and have a number of vertically extending seams and/or bones or wires which extend the length of the front portion of the garment. These wires and/or seams tend to result in visible lines which appear when wearing thin, tight fitting gowns or the like. Typically, prior art undergarments do not have vertically extending wires at the rear. Moreover, although products are available which utilize a foam construction which do not suffer this problem, for example, Style No. 7643 available from Felina Lingerie, such products tend to ride up or form creases in the midriff area when the wearer bends down or bends over. This problem results from the use of a TACTEL (a type of yarn and registered trademark) outer layer and a foam and cotton backing laminate as the inner layer because the foam layer tends to compress and stretch when put under pressure.